Woman Says Bullying The ‘Gen Z Stare’ Is Ableist — ‘God Forbid A Teenager Be Socially Awkward’
Gen Z adults are struggling with their communication skills.
MDV Edwards | Shutterstock A new internet debate has taken center stage and it has everything to do with Gen Z. Apparently, this new phenomena dubbed the "Gen Z stare," has to do with young adults entering the workforce and greeting their colleagues, or customers if they're working a customer-facing job, with blank stares, one-word responses, or even awkward pauses when they're being spoken to.
It's sparked a massive debate, with older generations saying that Gen Zers are "rude," and "entitled," for their lack of communication skills while Gen Z adults have defended the "Gen Z stare" by pointing out that they don't "owe" people they don't know conversations, which seemed to be the argument for a Gen Z content creator named Tatum. She claimed that people who are bullying Gen Z for their stares are being too harsh and discriminatory.
A woman argued that bullying the 'Gen Z stare' is ableist.
"As an older Gen Z, I just turned 24 a month ago, I think millennials and Gen X really need to chill out," Tatum argued in her video. "All I see when you guys talk about this are grown adults who grew up in a pre-pandemic world and had normal social interaction in their teenage years. All I see is you guys bullying teenagers who are growing up in a much more difficult world than you did."
Tatum explained that people mocking and bullying Gen Z for their constant staring and seemingly disconnected way of communicating and engaging are ableist. She claimed that calling Gen Z "stupid, incompetent, [and] rude for being nonverbal or having poor social interaction skills or not understanding social interactions" is part of the problem.
"Before we had any of the knowledge that we did about neurodivergence, autistic people who were nonverbal and struggled to make eye contact were labelled as stupid, which is exactly what you guys are labelling Gen Z for," she continued.
She criticized Gen X and millennials for being the ones spearheading this 'negative' discourse about Gen Z.
Tatum claimed that Gen X and millennials were teetering the line into ableist rhetoric by labeling Gen Z as being "incompetent" for their communication skills. She insisted that older generations should instead come from a place of empathy and compassion when dealing with them.
"It's really ironic that Gen X and millennials are spearheading this conversation about the Gen Z stare and their inability to keep up with socialization when they're the same parents that hand their kid an iPad anytime they experience an uncomfortable emotion."
There is some validity to the notion that Gen Z's communication style may have been impacted by the pandemic and the prolonged isolation from others. According to a study, 55% reported that having fun is difficult, 46% stated that being happy is challenging, and 45% noted that maintaining relationships is difficult, reflecting their experiences during the pandemic and the need to conduct most activities virtually.
Gen Z often lacks some of the important skills that come with being in the workforce and just adulthood in general, including negotiating, networking, speaking confidently in front of crowds, and working long hours. However, despite the setbacks that Gen Z has experienced, it doesn't mean that older generations are being ableist when they point out the ridiculous "Gen Z stare."
There's a difference between having social anxiety and just being rude when talking to people.
Gen Z tends to live with the belief that they don't "owe" anyone anything. They take these customer-facing jobs and refuse to engage in small talk with the customers that come in or even with their co-workers.
Ketut Subiyanto | Pexels
However, there's absolutely nothing ableist about older generations pointing out how rude and off-putting it is to try and have a conversation with a Gen Zer, whether they're engaging with a Gen Z barista or some other kind of Gen Z adult working in customer service. Receiving a blank stare in return is unacceptable from anyone. Having social anxiety doesn't automatically mean that you're suddenly exempt from engaging in basic human decency and communication.
By claiming that it's "ableist" for older generations to find a problem with it is taking away from people who actually have real disabilities. Gen Z adults, because most of Gen Z are not teenagers and definitely know better, have no reason to be coddled when they're actually just being inconsiderate.
While it's natural to feel a bit of discomfort when interacting with people you don't know, it doesn't mean you're just allowed to stare at them. If that was the case, then don't work in a customer-facing role.
At the end of the day, Gen Zers didn't "grow up" in a pandemic world. They were already in their late teens, early 20s, when the pandemic happened, and while it may have affected their communication skills, it shouldn't be used as a crutch when we're five years out of it. There are so many tools and resources that Gen Z can use to get better at speaking and communicating, and there's no excuse anymore for being dismissive and cold.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
